Bay State Baseball League Policies

CONSTRUCTION OF TEAMS

Bay State Baseball is designed for cities and towns to enter all-star teams at each division level.

Applicants for BSBTOC shall either be part of, or have approval from, the existing city/town youth baseball structure to be considered for entry. Bay State baseball will not consider teams that consist of collections of players from different towns.

Applicant teams must have a home field available within the city/town borders they represent.

Recognized youth baseball leagues with team(s) entered in BSBTOC may not have more than two teams in any given division in one specific round over the course of a season of play in BSBTOC. (As defined by 'Levels of Play' in Section C.)

Age Groups and Divisions

The league will be comprised of five divisions based on age. All divisions play on a traditional 60’ diamond with the exception of the A-70 division which plays on 70’ base paths. Divisions are made up of the best players from a league as follows:

DIVISION

A

B

C

D

AGE

11 or 12

10 or 11

9 or 10

9

To be considered a Bay State Age "9," a player's date of birth must fall between 5/1/09
and 8/31/10. Those born between 5/1/10 and 8/31/10 may sit out one year and still be
considered a "9" for the 2019 season. However, those players born between 5/1/2010
and 8/31/2010 that choose to play in 2019 as a "9" may not repeat as a "9" in 2020.
They are automatically considered a "10" in 2020.

To be considered a Bay State age "10," a player's date of birth must fall between 5/1/08
and 8/31/09. Those born between 5/1/09 and 8/31/09 may choose to play as a "9" for
the 2018 Season. However, those players born between 5/1/09 and 8/31/09 that choose
to play in 2019 as a "10" may not repeat as a "10" in 2020. They are automatically
considered an "11."

To be considered a Bay State age "11," a player's date of birth must fall between 5/1/07
and 8/31/08.

To be considered a Bay State age "12," a player's date of birth must fall between 5/1/06
and 8/31/07.

Under normal circumstances, there are two qualifying rounds of games for the A and B, C and D Divisions.

Multi-Town Teams

Bay State Baseball will allow multiple towns to combine their local spring programs to form one Bay State Baseball entry under the following conditions:

Towns must be contiguous.

There must be a 'lead' town with a specific contact person(s) that spearheads all paperwork, requests and information, and identifies fields for baseball use.

Towns must join forces at any/all levels of Bay State Baseball play for that season, not entering separate teams at other levels.

Example of what is not allowed: Town 1 and Town 2 fulfill all conditions and decide to enter combined teams in the A Division and the B Division but enter separate Town 1 and Town 2 teams in the C Division and the D Division.

Example of what is allowed: Town 1 and Town 2 fulfill all conditions and decide to enter combined teams in the A Division and the B Division and enter no teams in the C Division or D Division.

Teams must submit a written letter of agreement signed by the local league presidents of all towns involved in the proposed combined team(s).

Town combinations are good for that season only; neither Bay State Baseball nor the towns involved are required to repeat the combinations in subsequent seasons.

All town entries are subject to review by the Board of Directors and must be submitted to the Board by June 15 of that season.

Rosters

The official Bay State roster form available on the website MUST be completed before a team can play its first game. Each team MUST submit a player roster containing the following:

The names of up to 20 players who will be eligible to play for the team at the discretion of the coaching staff.

A roster cannot contain more than 20 players in total. The roster may be amended between rounds by adding or deleting players, as long as the roster size or composition rules (see 2.0, Multiple Roster Assignments) are not violated. Roster changes may ONLY be made by informing the Division Commissioner of the desire to do so, and in turn the Commissioner will make the change(s) to the listed roster. Rosters may not be changed following the final round of play (before the T of C or playoffs) in any division.

Each player participating in a game MUST be listed on the current player roster form.

Team managers are required to construct rosters and player status for the season at their discretion, but must be ready to bear full responsibility for such actions and consequences. Bay State Baseball will not support managers engaged in internal disputes who do not embrace Bay State philosophies for roster composition.

Multiple Roster Assignments for the Same Player

A player is eligible to be on any roster for which they are age-eligible but can only be listed on ONE team at any given level of play.

A player may NOT be listed on two different rosters at the same level of play (A-60, A-70, B, C, or D Division). If the player is listed on a team that has completed play for the season, he/she is allowed to then be part of the roster of another team from the same spring league at the same level assuming the window for roster changes is open.

Legal Residence

Each player must have played on a team or reside in the geographical area representing his/her local spring league season. Residency in and border limits of each geographical area will be reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors. Exceptions to this rule have been granted by the Board of Directors via the appeal process; exceptions are only granted by the Board of Directors.

Roster Violations and Exceptions

Any team not submitting a roster as specified in these rules, or violating roster regulations will, at the discretion of the Board of Directors, forfeit games until that team complies with the rules. Penalties for violations will be determined by the Board of Directors and may include forfeiture fees and/or program participation review, depending upon the severity of the violation. All decisions made by the Board of Directors will be final.

Exceptions to roster rules may be made at the discretion of the Division Commissioner upon request of the team manager, subject to approval by the BSBTOC President.

GAME TYPES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

There are 3 types of games in Bay State Baseball: Qualifying Games, Neutral Site Game and Trophy Weekend Games.

Qualifying Games

All weekday games and certain non-hosted weekend games will be played at the home team’s
field. These are called Qualifying Games.

No qualifying game in a round shall be played after the Friday night prior to a trophy weekend.
Team standings shall be determined as per rule J.18.0 for tie-breakers

Any qualifying game in a round played on the Friday prior to a trophy weekend shall be started
no later than 5:45PM. If the home team does not have a field available, the game shall be
played at the visitor’s field (or at a neutral site if both fields are not available). The scheduled
home team for the game shall be unchanged.

Neutral Site Games (a.k.a. "Hosted Qualifying Weekend Games")

Most weekend games will be held at a neutral host site to give the players the feel of
tournament baseball. Requirements to qualify as a host site are as follows:

Provide a Tournament Director or alternate who will be physically at the tournament site for all games

Furnish the necessary number of playing fields to successfully complete the scheduled

Furnish the name and telephone number of a person who may be contacted for any last

The Division Commissioner or his representative will be the judge as to whether games will

Trophy Weekend Games
All Trophy Weekend games will be held at a neutral host site. Requirements to qualify as a host
site are as follows:

Furnish the necessary number of playing fields to successfully complete the scheduled weekend games (two or three fields). The fields must be properly marked and manicured and have outfield fences.

Furnish the name and telephone number of a person who may be contacted for any last minute changes, especially in the event of inclement weather.

Receive trophy delivery, provide secured storage space for trophies and an area to conduct trophy presentations.

The Division Commissioner or his representative will be the judge as to whether games will be started or postponed as it relates to weather/field conditions.

The following shall determine the home team on trophy weekend:

Team with the best standing,

If tied after 1. , team with the best win-loss record in said round,

If tied after 2. , coin toss. A coin toss shall give the winner choice of home or
away, or choice of dugouts. The loser shall have a choice of home or away, or
dugouts, based on what was selected by the winner.

On trophy weekends, a protest shall cause the game to be halted until the issue is resolved
by the Division Commissioner or his representative. The decision will be final.

Rescheduling Games

All games MUST be played as scheduled with the following exception:

Scheduled Bay State Baseball games may only be rescheduled to accommodate Little
League Baseball (Williamsport) or Cal Ripken tournament games. Bay State Baseball will
not honor requests to alter the game schedule to accommodate ANY other tournaments
or league games. A request may be made to the Division Commissioner if a team wishes
to reschedule a game due to a conflict with a game on the same day. The request must
be made as far in advance as possible of the Bay State scheduled game and MUST be
played on the next available day/night.

The following procedures must be adhered to:

Teams must disclose their involvement with Little League/Williamsport or Cal
Ripken district/state/national tournament play as early as possible, to the Division
Commissioner and include format, dates, times and sites, whenever possible. Efforts
will be made to match teams still alive in LL/CR tournament play in the same Bay State
Baseball group, with Division Commissioner’s recommendations taken into account.

The minimum number of games played in a round required to be eligible for trophy
weekend inclusion shall be four in the C and D Divisions and six in the A60 and B Divisions.

Should a conflict arise due to a district/state/national tournament game, the teams
must make every effort to play the game within the timeframe of the round. If the game
cannot be played, there will be no forfeiture awarded for either team; the game will be
declared no contest.

Trophy Weekend games will not be rescheduled for any reason. If a qualifying team can
not commit to their trophy weekend schedule, they must inform their commissioner so
a replacement can be made.

The Bay State Baseball philosophy in these instances is to try and play the game within the
required round timeframe, with communication between the managers and Board crucial. Any
undue attempts to obstruct this tenet will be looked upon unfavorably by the Board and may
have a determining effect on a ruling. Division commissioners MUST be notified, and approve of,
any schedule change before the game can be moved.

Home Team Responsibilities

The home team is responsible for the condition of the field. The field should be manicured,
marked, and preferably have an outfield fence

.

The home team manager is responsible for notifying the visiting team in the event that
inclement weather does not permit a game to be started. The home team should make every
effort to notify the visiting team in sufficient time to keep them from traveling unnecessarily.
Once the game has started, the umpires have control of the game and shall decide when a game
should be stopped and/or terminated.

Games postponed in the event of inclement weather MUST be played on the first open date
on the BSBTOC schedule. It shall be the responsibility of the home team manager to notify the
Division Commissioner of any postponements.

The home team is responsible for balls (Wilson A1074 or better) for all games, INCLUDING
weekday, qualifying weekends and trophy weekends.

The home team has the choice of dugouts

Winning Coach Responsibilities

The winning team (i.e. head coach, assistant coach or person designated to do so at manager’s
direction) must enter the correct result and pitching information for both teams into the Bay
State Baseball web site within 24 hours of the completion of the game. If this is not done, the
win shall not be credited. The first time a manager/team fails to properly enter the information
into the web site within 24 hours, it shall result in a warning. Subsequent offenses shall
result in a forfeit. Discretion will be observed by the Division Commissioners for extenuating
circumstances.

In the event of suspension of a game, the home team is responsible for entering the information
available for the game, up to the point of game suspension, on the Bay State web site and to
notify the division commissioner.

Should there be a dispute on entered information, managers must bring said item to the notice
of the Division Director within 48 hours of the completion of the game or else the entered
data shall stand as reported. Discretion will be observed by the Division Commissioner for
extenuating circumstances.

UMPIRES

Bay State Baseball will provide two umpires for each game. The home team will be responsible
for payment of these umpires for all qualifying games. Teams will split the costs of umpires for
trophy weekend and Tournament of Champions games, with the exception being the semifinals
and finals, wherein the league will pay. Any complaints relative to umpires must be made to the
Division Commissioner.

Umpire fees for Bay State games are:

$55 per game for B, C, D. $65 for A

If only one umpire shows, the cost is the normal fee plus 1/2

No local league rules regarding umpire payment shall override Bay State rules.

The Division Commissioner must be informed immediately of any rescheduled or canceled
games in order to inform the appropriate umpire assigner.

If no qualified umpire(s) is available by 15 minutes after the scheduled start of the game, the
respective managers have the option of re-scheduling according to available dates or playing
the game with a mutually agreed-upon umpire(s). Should the game be rescheduled, the proper
Division Commissioner must be notified.

The first pitch of the game constitutes the acceptance, by both teams, of the umpires.

All umpire fees must be paid prior to the start of the game. If the game is not started due to
weather, but the umpires have arrived, they will be entitled to 50% fee.

CODE OF CONDUCT

Coaches are responsible for the conduct of their players, parents and themselves.

There shall be no smoking or chewing of tobacco, drinking alcohol or using unlawful substances
by anyone on the field and at the team benches.

If a manager wants to bench a player during a game for disciplinary reasons, he must inform
the opposing manager, and he shall also inform the Division Commissioner before the player is
eligible to play again.

If a manager, coach or player is ejected by an umpire or BSBTOC official, they shall leave the
field immediately and take no further part in the game. An ejected participant cannot be in sight
or hearing distance of the on-going game once ejected and he/she shall not be in attendance at
the following game(s) due to suspension (see 5.0). In the event a player is ejected, it is required
of the manager to provide responsible supervision off-premises for the ejected player.

If a manager, coach or player is ejected by an umpire or BSBTOC official:

First time* - The person shall not take part in the next scheduled game. There is no
appeal.

Second time - The person shall not take part in any games scheduled over the next seven
days. An appeal may be made.

Third time - The person is suspended for the entire season. An appeal may be made.

NB* Any manager/coach suspended for a game must vacate the premises of said game no later
than 30 minutes before the scheduled start time. A violation of this will incur the next level of
penalty, a seven-day suspension. Further violation(s) will be subject to additional penalties, to
be determined by the Bay State Board of Directors.

No player shall be allowed to harass opposing players or coaches. Such action shall be cause for
ejection.

Any manager or coach who repeatedly harasses umpires shall be subject to disciplinary action
by the Board of Directors

Any team whose parents are abusive to either the umpires, a BSBTOC official or the opposing
team shall face disciplinary action by the Board of Directors to include the disqualification of the
team for or in the TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS ROUND.

No disciplinary action shall be taken unless there is a meeting of a disciplinary committee
appointed by the president along with all interested parties. Failure of an interested party to
attend a "disciplinary action meeting", after having been notified, shall not delay any disciplinary
action which might be taken by the board as a result of the meeting.

Any coach suspended/ejected by an official from a game is ineligible to coach at any Bay
State Baseball League game at any level until the next contest at the same level he/she was
suspended for has/have been completed.

Processes for reporting ejections - Both managers/coaches involved are required to report any
ejection (manager, coach, player or spectator) to their division director and enter it onto the Bay
State web site. The umpire involved is required to report the ejection to the umpire-in-chief.

All organizations shall be reviewed at the end of the season by the Board of Directors.

FORFEITS - RULE VIOLATIONS AND PENALTIES

A forfeited game is a game declared ended in favor of the offended team by the score of 6 to 0, for violation of the rules and regulations. Forfeits, as determined by the Division Commissioner, shall be dealt with immediately.

If a team cannot field 9 official roster players within 15 minutes after the designated starting time for the game, or at any time during the game for whatever reason, a forfeit shall be declared.

If during a game a rule violation (which is a forfeiture offense) occurs, the game is required to end immediately at that point.

Teams forfeiting games during the Bay State schedule will be subject to the following penalties:

Violation

On-Field Penalty

Financial Penalty

Other Penalties

Illegal Substitution

Forfeit Game

1st offense - $02nd + offense - $100

Pitching Eligibility Violation

Forfeit Game

1st offense - $02nd + offense - $1003rd + offense - $250

1st offense - Manager suspended for the following game
2nd offense - results in team barred from upcoming Trophy Weekend

Not enough players at start of game

Forfeit Game

$100 + pay umpires

Not enough players during game

Forfeit Game

Use of illegal player *

Forfeit Game

$250

Team barred from upcoming Trophy Weekend and TOC

No-Show with notification **

Forfeit Game

1st offense - $1002nd + offense - $250

No-Show without notification *

Forfeit Game

$250

Team barred from upcoming Trophy Weekend and TOC

* No show and illegal player violations are subject to appeal
** The only exception to the no-show rule is a conflict with a national tournament game

A second pitching violation during the season under Rule 6.0. would result in the team becoming ineligible for the trophy weekend of said round. The manager would also be subject to increased penalties, based on the severity of the violation.

For any pitching violation, the manager will be subject to the penalty (penalties) whether in attendance at the game in question or not.

Other violations which result in forfeiture will be dealt with by the Board of Directors on a per-case basis.
Multiple infractions are subject to increased penalties including being barred from trophy weekends, Tournament of Champions and removal from summer schedule entirely. Division Commissioner and Board of Directors will adjudicate such situations.

Payment for all penalties can be made via credit card on the Baystatebaseball.com web site and must be made no later than four hours before the next scheduled game to avoid forfeiture. Please consult Divisional Director for further clarification.
Teams which forfeit games due to any “No Show” violation are obliged to pay for umpires in any such game if said umpires are not notified in time and are present for the game. Should the fee be outstanding at the end of the current Bay State season, the offending league will be charged for said amount.

FOUR TEAM GROUP:
1. Least runs allowed per game (non-forfeited games only) in games between the three tied teams.
2. Most runs scored in games between the three tied teams.
3. Least runs allowed per game (non-forfeited games only) in all games in the qualifying round.
4. Most runs scored in all games in the qualifying round.
5. Team names drawn from a hat.

FIVE OR MORE TEAM GROUP:
1. Least runs allowed per game (non-forfeited games only) in all games in the qualifying round.
2. Most runs scored in all games in the qualifying round.
3. Team names drawn from a hat.

FOUR WAY TIES

FOUR TEAM GROUP:
1. Least runs allowed per game (non-forfeited games only) in games between the four tied teams.
2. Most runs scored in games between the four tied teams.
3. Team names drawn from a hat.

FIVE OR MORE TEAM GROUP:
1. Least runs allowed per game (non-forfeited games only) in all games in the qualifying round.
2. Most runs scored in all games in the qualifying round.
3. If only two teams remain tied, just the two tied teams shall start 1.0 TWO WAY TIES. If three teams remain tied, they shall continue to step 4 as steps already considered are the same steps in 2.0 B.
4. Team names drawn from a hat.

TIE BREAKING PROCEDURES
1. If a given tie breaker does not separate any teams, continue sequentially down the list of tie breakers.
2. Once a procedure singles a team or teams from the others and there are still teams (two or three) to be separated, they are subject immediately to their specific tie breaker (17.1 TWO WAY TIES or 17.2 THREE WAY TIES respectively). Note however, if one step clearly identifies the highest or lowest ranked team, further tie breaking steps will not affect this result.
3. If a tie breaker clearly separates all teams, no further tie breaking steps are required.
4. Though a game that becomes a forfeit after the conclusion of play will be recorded as 6-0 win, runs allowed in the game will be used for tie-breaker purposes.
Approved Ruling: A team loses a game on the field 4-3 but is awarded the win after a pitching violation is discovered. The game is now a win for them but they will be charged with allowing 3 runs in 6 innings played.
5. The board of directors reserves the right to alter these procedures when it is deemed to be in the best interests of the league. The decision will be final.

POOR WEATHER VS ROUND CONCLUSION

If poor weather interferes with the successful conclusion of any round within the time period schedule for that round, the established tie breaking system may be used to select teams for the finals or to even create a champion, if necessary.

TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS ROUND

1 PARTICIPANTS AND FORMAT

A.The Board of Directors has the right to alter any or all of the following TOC guidelines in order to, in its opinion, fairly handle unique situations.

B.Teams cited for parent abuse (see: CODE OF CONDUCT) shall not qualify for the Tournament of Champions Round. An appeal may be made.

C.Any team which forfeits a TOC game (during the championship week competition) will be charged the appropriate forfeiture fee and will bring their entire program’s participation placed under review.

D.A maximum of 8 teams shall qualify for the championship round.

E.The championship round will have the eight qualified teams playing in a modified double-elimination format. All games would be at a neutral site (underlined team would function as home team for game purposes). All games aside of Game 1-6 would see the loser eliminated.

Sunday - (13) Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12 (Host team would be the team with the better TOC record; if both have same TOC record, the higher-seeded team hosts)

G.If the semifinal or final game(s) cannot be played on the originally scheduled Saturday and/or Sunday (due to weather or other-related reasons), there will be no extension of the pitching week beyond the originally scheduled dates. Therefore, any games played after the originally scheduled game on Saturday/Sunday will be treated as played on that Saturday/Sunday.

2SEEDING FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND

Seeding for divisions as follows:

Teams shall accrue points over the course of the entire season schedule, from rounds 1-2. For each victory (a tie will receive half of the allotted point{s} for the game) and achievement teams will be awarded a certain point total. These will be based upon achievement and level of play. See chart below for point breakdowns.

Round

Level

Event

Points Earned

1

All

Each regular win

3

1

All

Loser TW Saturday

2

1

All

Silver Trophy

5

1

All

Gold Trophy

6

2

Upper

Each regular win

5

2

Upper

Loser TW Saturday

3

2

Upper

Silver Trophy

7

2

Upper

Gold Trophy

8

2

Middle

Each regular win

3

2

Middle

Loser TW Saturday

2

2

Middle

Silver Trophy

5

2

Middle

Gold Trophy

6

2

Lower

Each regular win

1

2

Lower

Loser TW Saturday

1

2

Lower

Silver Trophy

3

2

Lower

Gold Trophy

4

(TW stands for Trophy Weekend)

At the end of 2 rounds of play (including Trophy Weekends), point totals shall be tallied and the top 8 teams will advance to the Tournament of Champions.

Ties in points (within the top 8, or between teams tied for seed 8 or lower) will be broken by:

Head to head during the season, with fewest runs allowed the determining factor if teams split.

Coin toss.

3AUTHORIZED AWARDS

Only trophies and awards officially authorized by the Bay State Tournament of Champions shall be given out after the championship games. The following trophies will be awarded for display in their clubhouse, town hall, or wherever the team(s) deem appropriate and must be returned before the start of the following season; the Don Soule Cup (A Division Champion), the Don McGowan Cup (B Division Champion), the Tom Wright Cup (C Division Champion) and the D Division Championship trophy.